Art as Protest

What happens when you turn authority’s own words against them?At college, ragging was an open secret, but the administration and staff were reluctant to acknowledge it as a problem. Pulling direct quotes from the Dean and Head of Department of Administration and reframed them as provocative posters. Placed back into the context of ragging, their statements exposed how the institution spoke about the issue and what students were experiencing. The posters were designed to confront rather than explain using the authority’s own words as tools. The series of posters were eventually taken down by the college, but not before creating a conversation around the issue and contributing to wider action, including the Dean’s subsequent demotion. Art changes people and people change the world. - John Butler